Pâtisserie Sans Frontières

Tempering chocolate – spreading system

You temper chocolate if you want it to stay shiny and not develop a white bloom with time or in the fridge. So you’d usually temper for decorating cakes or making special chocolates.

Tempering chocolate is quite straightforward but you need to be precise with your temperatures and use good-quality chocolate. Also be prepared to get a bit in a chocolate mess until you get used to manipulating the chocolate with your metal scraper and spatula! 🙂

There are different ways to temper and I’ve included 2 similar versions here based on the spreading system. It’s not difficult unless you’re living in a very hot humid place where the room temperature is above the temperature you’re actually aiming for! Like here in Barcelona during the summer. Here are the techniques:

Important:

before you start make sure none of your utensils or the work surface are wet. Water should never touch the chocolate.

remember you need to follow the temperature curve precisely. If at any point your temperatures go too high or too low then start the whole process again from the beginning.

use a sugar thermometre – it can be standard but probe is better to take the temperature of the chocolate when it’s spread out. The most convenient for chocolate work is the laser thermometre.

SYSTEM 1 – FOR DARK CHOCOLATE (adapted from the Cordon Bleu Basics book)

STAGE 1 – melt chocolate (broken into small pieces) very gently on a bain marie to 46-48°C/114-118°F (between 45°C and 50°C is acceptable)

Insert a sugar thermometre and make sure the chocolate doesn’t get too hot, taking off the heat if necessary (if the chocolate goes over 60°C your chocolate starts losing its integrity). Even off the heat your chocolate will keep melting as you stir.

STAGE 2 – bring half the chocolate to the lower temperature of 28°C/82°F by spreading and gathering with a spatula knife or metal scraper. This temperature must be exact (with not more than 1° difference)

STAGE 3 – bring the temperature of the chocolate back up by adding your cooled chocolate to the remaining half in the bowl (which is still warm). And stir. It must reach a temperature of 31-32°C/88-90°F. If it goes higher than 33°C/91°F then you need to start the whole process again from the beginning.

SYSTEM 2 (adapted from Christophe Felder’s Pâtisserie book)

STAGE 1

Gently melt the chocolate over a bain marie to the temperature indicated for your type of chocolate:

Dark chocolate, 55°C/131°F

Milk chocolate, 50°C/122°F

White chocolate, 45°C/113°F

STAGE 2

Once it reaches this temperature pour two thirds of the chocolate onto a surface like marble and use a metal spatula to spread then gather up the chocolate.

According to Christophe Felder, you should manipulate the chocolate till it reaches a temperature of 28 to 29°C/82 to 84°F. Thomas Schnetzle says it should be cold to the touch and like a chocolate custard.

STAGE 3

Then you return the cooled chocolate to the rest of the warm chocolate in the bowl and stir together. You must now have these temperatures (check with your sugar thermometre):

Dark chocolate, 31-32°C/88-90°F

Milk chocolate, 29-30°C/84-86°F

White chocolate, 29-30°C/84-86°F

If necessary, stir on the bain marie for 1 or 2 minutes to bring the chocolate back up to the correct temperature (or wait till it cools to the correct temperature before using). Always check with the thermometre. If you’re a few degrees out you won’t get the required shiny snappy chocolate result.

Once ready then use immediately and quickly before it hardens! You can tell your tempering has worked if it’s nicely liquid when dipping your chocolates but afterwards your chocolates are hardening rapidly and not staying soft for too long. If it hasn’t worked you need to repeat the whole process.

So glad this could help you Bekkah and hope you have fun tempering chocolate now. 🙂 I know what you mean – I used to think ‘aaargh’ before tempering but it is actually quite nice to do! Let me know how it goes… 🙂

Lovely stuff you guys made from the blog!

Lovely brioche rolls made by Annette in New Zealand! ‘They turned out really well thanks, my boys certainly enjoyed them, all gone now!’ she reports. But be careful – she noticed that if you don’t use invert sugar or honey but just caster sugar, you’ll need to add a little extra water.

A fabulous Raspberry charlotte by Kate! Loads of raspberries and great sponge finger casing! The assembly part was actually really easy! and ‘it tasted amazing’ she says, adding it ‘will definitely become a regular pudding in our household!’

A beautiful orange and rum fruitcake-cake Anglais fruitcake made by Dookes! Looks moist and delicious! Dookes’ comments: ‘seriously good!’ and ‘fantastico’!! You can find the guest post recipe at http://wp.me/p2sQo3-US And Dookes’ cake report is at https://hogriderdookes.wordpress.com/2015/03/18/lilis-biker-cake-made-and-tasted/ on his Hogrider Dookes blog.

A stunning Gâteau Moka by Kate in Cornwall. The piping is wonderful and she was very pleased with it. She also mentions the cake was delish! :)

A delicious seed and nut loaf made by Claudette in London. She reports ‘cannot stop eating it … it is really delicious’ And she used more pumpkin than sunflower seeds and a little chestnut flour too.

Scrumptious orange & rum fruitcake-cake Anglais by Stéphanie in Tahiti ‘This cake is just delicious :) I brought one in the office today and it just vanished in a few minutes! Every one loved it :)’ she reports. Lovely local rum, vanilla, honey!

Yummy wholemeal spelt croissants by Dookes. Very well-shaped and nicely risen too! ‘For a first attempt I have to say I’m pretty pleased. They certainly pass the taste test’ says Dookes.

A fantastic slice of Apple tarte tatin with Chinese 5 spices and Tamarind by Claudette, aka mum! :) It was very nice and using maple syrup is ‘genius’ she reports. The Pink Lady apples used were ‘lovely, juicy and firm’ and cooked on the ring a little over 10 mins. Plus the pastry browned quite quickly so was covered with foil towards the end.

Extremely tasty-looking Lamingtons by Annette in New Zealand. Lovely and moist even without cream inside, she reports. So tempting piled up on that pretty plate. Yum!

What I made at the Cordon Bleu in Paris

Wild strawberry treasure cake

Almond cake – Pavé d’amandes

Gateau Moka

Dark chocolates – truffles and almond paste chocolates

Diamants

Palmiers and Chaussons aux pommes

Tartelettes au chocolat and à l’orange

Apricot streusel tart with puff pastry

Triomphe aux noix – caramel walnut mousse cake

Tarte aux pommes

Chestnut hedgehog cake

Passion fruit and raspberry tart

Raspberry and anis macarons

Gateau Mogador

Baba au rhum – rum baba

Batons de marechaux and palets aux raisins

Douceur chocolat – Heavenly chocolate cake

Opera cake

Entremets passionata – passionfruit and raspberry mousse cake

Gateau Saint-Honoré

Le Jamaique – passion fruit and coconut mousse cake

Milk chocolates – muscadines and pralinés

Croquembouche

Bavarois trois chocolats – Three chocolate bavarian cake

Savoury petits fours with inverted puff pastry

Caramelised pear meringue pie

Cake and Madeleines

Chocolate and pistachio bûche

Dacquoise

Viennoiserie – croissants, brioches, pains au chocolat

Pithiviers

Gateau Basque

Éclairs and chouquettes

Pear Charlotte

Pain de mie and baguettes – French breads

Plating a rapsberry and anis macaron with raspberry coulis and anis cream